27 Oct 2001 at Big Sur R. mouth MTY
The SWAMP SPARROW is a rare but regular wintering bird in estuarine and freshwater marshes in California; fair numbers appear as fall vagrants (especially along the coast) but it is much rarer as a spring vagrant.
Most of my California records are listed below. Those preceded by H were found or co-found by me personally; those preceded by K receive some partial credit (e.g., I was involved in sorting out i.d. of a previously discovered bird or refound a vagrant that had been thought to have left). My notes in the 1970s do not always sort out credit issues so it is possible additional birds might have been "self-found." As with many eastern vagrants, many more were seen during active rarity chasing throughout the state in younger days, and a higher percentage of records are from my local county (MTY) in recent years. These are most of my personal Swamp Sparrow records (there may be a few more to be extracted from notes):
11/29/74 Olema marsh MRN 5 (2 seen again 1/12/75)See the family page for county abbreviations. All photos & text © 2002 Don Roberson; all rights reserved.
5/24-25/75 Oasis MNO
11/29/75 Furnace Creek INY
12/22/75 Olema marsh MRN
10/30/76 Stovepipe Wells INY brief details in my notes
10/26/77 Gold Gate Park (North L.) SF imm
H 10/28-29/77 Furnace Creek INY imm
10/30/77 Furnace Creek INY diff imm
11/23/77 Furnace Creek INY imm (same?)
12/18/77 Malibu Lagoon LA
12/28/78 New R. m., Salton Sea south end IMP 1 h.o.
2/25/81 Laguna Grande, Seaside MTY imm
4/28/84 near Imperial Dam IMP 1; a late record for Colorado River valley
1/17/87 Olema marsh MRN 2
H 10/23/88 Furnace Creek INY 2
11/23/84 Carmel R. mouth MTY 1 imm
10/26/88 Carmel R. mouth MTY 1 imm
1/27/90 NPGS pond, Monterey MTY 1 ad.
H 12/27/90 Crespi pond, Pt. Pinos MTY 1 imm
11/26/93 Salinas R. at Davis Rd., Salinas MTY 1 h.o.
1/16/994 Big Sur R. mouth MTY 1 wintered
10/21/95 Big Sur R. mouth mesa MTY 1
2/6/96 Carmel R. mouth MTY at least 6 seen near Odello
H 10/28/97 Carmel R. mouth MTY 1 imm
H 10/17/98 Big Sur R. mouth MTY 1 on mesa
1/1/01 Moonglow Dairy ponds MTY 1 wintering
H 10/27/01 Big Sur R. mouth MTY 1 imm on gravel bar (marginal photo, above)
H 11/4/01 Crespi pond, Pt. Pinos MTY 1 imm